SEA-FISHERIES LABORATORY. 197 



blunt point. The width of each prong is about equal to 

 one-third of the incision. 



(19) Anchorella scomberi, Bassett Smith. — Plate VI. 

 This species is here recorded for the first time from 



the Irish Sea, and has been found on the gill rakers of 

 mackerel caught off Walney and in Carnarvon Bay in 

 1905. 



(20) Anchorella paradoxa, van Beneden. — Plate VII. 

 Another Copepod parasite from the mackerel, not 



previously recorded for the area. It is found on the gill 

 filaments, and thus differs in its habit from A. scomberi. 

 This species is quite distinct from all the other British 

 members of the genus, and is probably not an Anchorella 

 at all. The male of A. scomberi has two pairs of 

 maxillipeds, but I find after a careful examination that 

 the male of A. paradoxa has only one pair. 



(21) Fish Eggs. — A table showing the distribution 

 from month to month is given on page 177. Two interesting 

 records have been obtained from the examination of the 

 plankton collected in 1905. The first and most important 

 is the occurrence of plaice eggs at an earlier date than any 

 previously known to us. On January 26th a spent female 

 plaice was caught in the steamer's trawl net when at work 

 off Aberystwyth, and two plaice eggs were captured in 

 the surface tow-net. A bottom tow-netting taken on the 

 same ground on December 15th contained one plaice egg 

 in which the developing larvae was clearly visible. From 

 the appearance of the larvae it is concluded that this egg 

 had been spawned ten days earlier than the date on which 

 it was captured. The occurrence of this egg seems to 

 indicate that some of the plaice on the South Wales coast 

 spawn early in December, and about very much the same 

 time as plaice frequenting certain areas of the North Sea. 

 The other point is the finding of the eggs of the spotted 



